Final trail plan for White Clay Creek State Park available to public 

DOVER (Dec. 7, 2011) – DNREC’S Division of Parks and Recreation has completed the White Clay Creek State Park Trail Plan, and is making it available to the public to access it in numerous ways.

The Trail Plan is available online at: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/parks/Information/Pages/White-Clay-Trail.aspx. Resource copies are also available at the White Clay Creek State Park Office and Nature Center, and in the Newark Free Library and Hockessin Public Library. For a DVD copy send an email request to Whiteclaytrails@state.de.us. For general information on White Clay Creek State Park, visit www.destateparks.com. 

The trail plan outlines enhancements including detailed descriptions and maps of intended trail improvements, future connections between the four sections of the park - Carpenter Recreation Area, Judge Morris Estate, Possum Hill and White Clay Creek Preserve – and where to link other recreation trails in the region. Trail system improvements will be implemented in stages over the next five to 10 years as funding is available.

Currently, there are 40 miles of trails in the park – 14.8 miles for hiking only; 24.3 shared-use miles for hiking and biking; and just under one mile of trail for equestrians, hikers and bike riders. The plan details the principles of sustainable trail design and development; connections between White Clay Creek State Park and neighboring parks and communities, creating better access for Delaware residents to their state park and other recreational lands; changes in trail miles and characteristics since 1998; and conversions of existing and former roads within the park into trails.

The White Clay Creek State Park Trail Plan is the culmination of three years of work by the Division’s Trail Committee. Planning processes to create a more environmentally and socially sustainable trail system included trail and landscape evaluations by state park staff and outreach to recreational trail users, and the general public. The final draft plan was endorsed by Park and Recreation Council and Council on Greenways and Trails.

White Clay Creek State Park currently has more than 3,600 acres and the largest trail system of any recreational area in the state. It is also close to thousands of additional acres of protected lands within the state as well as the bordering states of Pennsylvania and Maryland. The abundance of park land and trails – a regional trail system exceeding more than 400 miles - make White Clay Creek State Park a key recreational destination not only for Delawareans, but also for residents in the entire tri-state area 

Vol. 41, No. 468